YPS: Cereal products now wrapped at double speed with new line

A renowned cereal producer has doubled the throughput of their shrink-wrapping operation, halving their associated labour cost all while widening the product range they can produce, with a new Minipack Pratika 80T side sealer supplied by YPS.

The cereal manufacturer's previous packaging line had been supplied by YPS some 8 years ago. During that time, the business's needs had broadened and capacity requirements increased. The company approached YPS, following their previous good experience, to explore the latest packaging technology in a bid to meet the change in demands.

They required a process that would offer greater flexibility as a wider pack range was now needed. Higher speeds were desired to increase production and to reduce labour costs, which had significantly increased during this period. Moreover, with a desire to reduce plastics and use recycled content where possible, their focus was also to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging process.

YPS supplied a Minipack Pratika 80-T MPS, an 800mm wide side sealer, with a double chamber tunnel, fully installed and commissioned, with operator training and an ongoing service package.

The previous line was restricted to a maximum pack size of 200mm high x 500mm long. The new side sealer can handle individual products as well as multipacks up to 320mm high and of unrestricted length, vastly improving flexibility and future-proofing the line against further product developments.

Over 250 customisable programs can be saved to the user interface, for simple, quick and easy changeovers between different products and collations.

Replacing the existing single chamber shrink tunnel with a double chamber not only contributed to increased processing speeds, but also improved pack appearance as the packaging is heat shrunk at a reduced temperature.

In addition, the lower temperature allows the use of 30%+ recycled content films and the option to reduce film thickness, further removing plastics from the waste stream, while also reducing energy consumption and therefore running costs – a true win, win, win!

The new line can wrap 14-15 packs per minute (ppm), compared with previous throughput of 6-8 ppm, doubling the packaging line's output.

In reducing the time needed to fulfil orders, the equivalent of two line operatives were removed from the process, giving payback on the new machine in less than 12 months – all while reducing the volume of plastic used and improving the overall packaging performance.

The cereal manufacturer's Operations Manager stated: YPS supported our team throughout the trials, commissioning and initial production, including returning for extra training and support the following week. The service they offered was exemplary, ensuring a seamless changeover to the new system.